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McCarthy Applauds VA's Move to Streamline Veteran Medical Records

Jun 5, 2017

Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) released the following statement on Secretary Shulkin’s announcement that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would be upgrading its electronic health records system:

“Secretary Shulkin is leading a long overdue transformation of the Department of Veterans Affairs. After speaking with the Secretary on several occasions about our shared vision for a VA that uses state of the art technology to better serve our veterans this action represents a significant step in the right direction. Technology has advanced the private health care system and has led to more complete care for millions of Americans. Unfortunately, the VA has not kept up and the broken links in veteran’s health records have led to unacceptable wait times and incomplete care. For the men and women who have given everything in service to their country, it is time we provide them top-of-the-line care and accessibility. For years, the VA has tried to solve this problem in-house but despite the effort, the product simply hasn’t produced. This decision underscores that the Trump administration is prepared to take a hard look and objectively evaluate the efficacy of government programs. This basic cost-benefit analysis with equal scrutiny on customer service is long overdue in government. I applaud this decision and look forward to working with the Secretary to advance legislation that will further pull the VA into the 21st Century.”